MADE IT! MONDAY: 2/14/2011

If the player doesn't work, you can listen to my tumblr

Here's a silly little song I wrote. 
Happy Valentine's Day, from the bottom of my cold, dark, bitter heart. 

Just kidding. Here are the lyrics:

Bottom of my Shoes

Oh, I'm gettin' out of town, Oh, I'm gonna take him down.
Lock the doors and shut the blinds again.
Dim the lights and please don't make a sound.
Cup of tea, and dreamless sleep.

You come in through tiny cracks in my walls, my doors, my vents...
You sneak right in.
It's three AM.
You're in my room, again. 

And you are the gum on the bottom of my shoes.
I can't get rid of you, but I'll walk, til the soles of my shoes are worn through.

Through corridors, I run through crowds from you.
Up and down the scales, I run from you.
You are amused, your face betrays you.

So tired, bored, misled, I let you in.
Fill my lungs and take control again.
Tell all my friends, I let you win.

And you are the gum on the bottom of my shoes.
I can't get rid of you, but I'll walk, til the soles of my shoes are worn through. 

And you are the clumsy spider web I walk into,
when I'm just trying to get to my car
No, I won't get very far without you. 

Playing Catch-up.

I've been ignoring my blog. I think it's a good thing, though... right? It means I must have a life after all. ;)

So, for "What I Wore" Wednesday, I'm not going to post what I actually wore. Why? It's because all I wore were my stupid black pants, black polo, and sweater. (My Starbucks uniform). Wait... I just posted what I wore. Oh well. 

I also received a package in the mail. It's contents were pretty exciting...

I got this sweet black dress on ideeli.com. It was really cheap, and it fits incredibly well, especially for an online purchase. I can't wait to wear it. Every. Day.

For Thrifty Thursday, I have some advice: use the internets.

If you haven't already subscribed to www.groupon.com, do it. Every once and a while they have an incredibly good deal, like a dental exam/cleaning/whitening for $30. One of today's deals is $20 worth of stuff at Barnes & Nobles for $10. It's useful bargains, not just random deals on stuff you don't really want. If you MUST wear designer clothing, you can save money on www.gilt.com, or www.ruelala.com, or www.ideali.com. There have got to be a million more similar sites by now. 

As a side note, I don't really know English all that well. I mean, I speak it, but I make grammatical errors all the time. If you notice any, I'm sorry. I know how annoying it is. Which reminds me...

Side Bar: Funny story.

So this lady is trying to sound really smart. She's trying to use big words, but fails. She says "He can be so condensending." I want to say... "He turns from a gas to a liquid on occasion?" Already hardly able to contain my laughter, I hear her use the word: "audacity", but slaughters it into "aur-ah-dissy". I am not joking. Auradicy. Speaking of words:

It's always bothered me that the word "palindrome" is not a palindrome. Why couldn't they call it a "palinilap"?

Also, I'm 99% positive I have adult ADD. Of course, I'm a hypochondriac, so I think a lot of things.

Back to the point of this post, though.

Fess Up! Friday:

I judge people. Hardcore. It's never without cause, but that doesn't make it okay.

For example: I heard a conversation where someone said "I can't believe she's having a baby! What is she thinking?!?! She has lupus, and isn't that genetic? Why can't she just adopt?" That inspired at least thirty seconds of judgment on my part. Then I thought to myself, I am judging this person for being judgmental. 

Of course, by then I had pretty much moved on to thinking about how much I love cinnamon crunch bagels from Panera.

Have a stellar weekend.

Love, Cynthia

 

TRY IT! TUESDAY: 2/1/11

Black Bean Brownies

Rocco Dispirito was on Dr. Oz. He made brownies with black beans. They let a random lady try them. She said she was a skeptic at first, but loved them after trying them. It seemed too good to be true, so I tried it.

The recipe calls for a can of black beans, 3/4c agave nectar, 3/4c egg substitute, 3tbsp flour, 1tbsp butter, 1tsp vanilla, 1/4c unsweetened cocoa powder, and a teaspoon of espresso powder.

Puree the beans, egg, flour, cocoa, and espresso powder. Get it as smooth as possible. Mix in the other stuff, pour it into a square pan after pamming/buttering it. Bake at 350 degrees for 20, then reduce heat to 300 degrees and bake for another 5-8 min. (It took me 12 minutes at 300 degrees instead of the 5-8.) Let it chill in the fridge for a couple hours.

So, I did it... and the result? Mixed.

Personally, I don't like them at all. I like my brownies to be chewy, and these were like a thick mousse. It tasted like a bowl of beans with chocolate powder mixed in. I'd rather just eat the beans, and then have a bit of dark chocolate later. I'll never make them again.

My mom, however, loved them. She liked that they were "moist". (Moist is just a gross word.)

So, if you're looking for something to curb a brownie craving, I would not recommend this. If you are looking for a new, adventurous, and extremely healthy dessert, go for it.

Now, go try something new!

SUPPER SUNDAY: 1/30/11

It's no secret that I've been trying to incorporate more healthy food into my diet, so scallops is a no-brainer. The other morning my TV was on mute while I got ready for work, but I saw a segment where they were cooking scallops, and making pasta out of it. I decided to look it up, later, and give it a try. Here is Geoffrey Zakarian's recipe.

These instructions come directly from the website, with my tips in parentheses. 

Ingredients

• 2 pounds Japanese buckwheat soba noodles (I had to go to a local Japanese market to find it, but I think Whole Foods has it.)
• 6 ounces guanciale or pancetta, diced small (Trader Joe's has it already diced!)
• 4 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/4 cup heavy cream (I used lowfat milk, instead)
• 1 ounces chives, minced
• 1 clove garlic, crushed in its skin ( I used three)
• 1 pound bay scallops (Trader Joe's has frozen scallops. If you don't live by the sea, frozen is better than "fresh".)
• 1 tablespoon good olive oil
• Sea salt
• Cracked black pepper

Preparation

Here is how to make this dish in the style of Geoffrey Zakarian’s new Manhattan restaurant, The Lambs Club:

• In a large pot of salted water, cook the soba noodles for 8 minutes or just until tender. (8 minutes was too much for me, I'd recommend checking after 5 minutes.)
• In a small bowl combine the egg yolks and grated Parmesan cheese. Reserve.
• Meanwhile, in a medium saute pan, heat the olive oil and add the guanciale or pancetta and cook until crispy. Drain all but 1 tablespoon of the rendered fat and add the crushed garlic to release its fragrance. Season the bay scallops with sea salt and saute in the pan with the crispy pancetta until golden on both sides, about 3 minutes. Remove the scallops from the pan and drain on paper towels. Add the heavy cream and cook 2 minutes or until the sauce coats the back of a spoon. 
• Drain the soba noodles and add to the sauce. Add the cooked bay scallops. Turn off the heat and add the egg yolk and Parmesan mixture. Toss well to combine. The heat will cook the egg yolk. Season with the chives.

Yield: 6 portions

I will definitely use this recipe again, but without the scallops. As it turns out, I don't like them. I could see this recipe working really well with chicken or tofu, so I'll probably use that instead. Also, while the Tilapia I cooked a few weeks back did not leave a fishy odor in my kitchen, the scallops left a gnarly stench all over my house, that lasted a couple of days, despite my excessive scented candle lighting. 

I served the pasta with a "bento box" (not really like a bento box, at all) from Trader Joe's, and a boiled egg. For dessert, we had strawberry mochi ice cream balls.

...and I almost forgot! When I was at the Japanese Market, I found these awesome egg molds. You boil a egg. While it's still hot, you peel it and put it in one of these super cute molds, and let it cool in ice water. Once it's cool, you have a cute little boiled egg! Okay, to be honest, it's a little creepy... but, I like it!

I hope you all had a really great Sunday, whether it involved supper or not.

Love, Cynthia

SNAP SATURDAY: 1/29/11

"I love to watch the light you spread into the room. See how it dances, from you, to me, to you." -Eisley

This hipstamatic "snap" I took back in October reminds me of being a kid. Also, Eisley's new album, "The Valley" comes out March 1st. I'm pretty excited.

Here is a reeeeeaaaaaaally good video of Eisley.

FESS UP! FRIDAY: 1/28/11

1. I forgot about my blog, again.

2. I have an unexplainable crush on Dr. Oz.

3. I have an explainable and platonic girl crush on Olivia Wilde, and Olivia Dunham.

4. I cannot resist mint chip ice cream. 

5. I love Nicholas Cage.

6. I cried while watching "Beauty and the Beast" tonight. 

7. I know 50% of Eisley's new album by heart, and it doesn't come out until March 1st.

8. I thought that tomorrow was Superbowl Sunday, until just now.

9. I still haven't gotten my dad a present for his birthday... which was two weeks ago... not even a card.

10. I thought "all intents and purposes" was "all intensive purposes" for a long time. *hangs head*

It feels good to come clean. 

Good night.

THRIFTY THURSDAY: 1/27/2011

I am not a professional thrifter. I have friends that can run into a Goodwill store and leave with a new wardrobe for ten dollars. I'm not that good, but over the past few (okay, several) years I have found some gems that are worth much more than the pennies I paid.

Exhibit A
The boots to the left are Town & Country, circa I don't know when. They are the perfect "cowboy boots" that don't look like a costume.  I got them at the Goodwill in San Luis Obispo, CA for five dollars. The booties to the right were about eight dollars (a bit high for a thrift store). They are some no-name brand, made in Brazil, from some thrift store in Orange County... I can't remember the name.

On to Exhibit B

Pardon the cat face. This blazer and striped tee are from Woodland, CA. The jacket was $1.75, and the shirt was $0.75. Add skinny jeans, a red belt, heels, and a top knot, and you get grade A hipster-wear. Suck it, Urban Outfitters!

Exhibit C is less hipster, more sexy grandma.

Man, I wish you could see this baby sparkle. It's so much fun to wear. The beaded fringe really finishes off the whole "look-at-me-or-else" vibe. I think this sweater was $2.95

This is a picture of my dog, Merlin. But, it's also a picture of a thrift find. You see that lace on the arm of the sofa? That is actually a lace blouse I got for a couple bucks. It's super comfy, and looks really nice under pretty much any jacket or cardigan. Mostly, I just wanted to post a picture of my dog, because he is the presh.

Lastly,  (I lost track of what "exhibit" we were on) here is a necklace I found at an antique shop in Montana. It has matching earrings, and I love it. I can't remember how much I paid for it, though. As a bonus, you can see one of my baby pictures in the background. Wook at dat widdle facey wacey.

Do you have any noteworthy thrift finds? Perhaps you have a blog dedicated to thrifting? Share it in the comment section! Do it!

Good evening, fine folks!